The Final Judgement
by JessieHeart
Summary: Bakura dueled with Malik... and lost. Now he's been cast into the afterlife to face the final judgement and certain damnation. Or will Ryou save him? BakuraRyou Shounen-Ai (Complete Story)
1. Chapter One

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
~( Disclaimer: I don't claim to own the characters of Yu-Gi-Oh! or related iteams. Thank You. )~  
  
*  
  
The more things change, the more they stay the same.  
  
It's true. Ryou could see it everywhere.  
  
Kaiba's Battle City tournament had ended a week ago. The world was unknowingly save once more, and the Kaiba Corp blimp had landed. Everyone in need of medical care got it, and as always each friend supported another.   
  
Yugi went back to being a friendly, kind-hearted wimp with the Millenium Puzzle's spirit to take care of, Tea continued to cheer him on. Tristin still admired Serenity and had his fights with his best friend. Mai continued to be a loner, but didn't forget to stop by every now and then to pick lovingly on Joey.  
  
Things had changed so much, and yet all together stayed the same.  
  
Ryou now lay in his own bed, entire body sore. He did not know for sure how he came about his injuries. He just figured it must have been the result of another one of his Yami's schemes, a theory not completely far-fetched. However, he hadn't seen Yami since the tournament, and could not ask. Ryou's left arm prickled with sharp pain and a cut ran across his hand to wrist.  
  
The mild torture was kind enough to pass into uneasy sleep and Ryou's mind slipped away.  
  
He found himself in a dream-like stage, before him lay an endless grassy field pierced only by a narrow stream. The wind brushed the grass like waves and tickled Ryou's bare back. He realized he was only wearing his pajama bottoms and bandage wrapped around his upper arm and hand. Now, however, all pain was gone.  
  
Ryou followed the glassy river until he came to a small bridge. Someone was standing on it, back facing Ryou, staring at the water.  
  
Ryou approached the person, who turned. It was Bakura, his Yami.  
  
Bakura was clad in Egyptian clothing, with gold cuffs on each wrist. He would have appeared noble if he hadn't looked so tired and thin.  
  
"Yami…" Ryou said, stepping forward. His kind nature was taking over. Bakura held up and hand to stop him. "You've been gone for so long…"  
  
"I've barely been able to sustain myself in the back of your mind…" Bakura explained quietly. "I lost a lot of energy in my duel with Malik…"  
  
"What? Will you be alright?"  
  
"Me? You're the one who looks terrible." Said Bakura, his usually cruel voice now sad. "But you're right. Soon, I won't be here at all."  
  
Ryou shook his head. "Yami, as long as I'm alive, you can't-"  
  
Bakura closed the gap between them, and with the hand that should have struck Ryou instead placed a finger on Ryou's lips. The boy was instantly silenced. Usually, such close proximity meant that Bakura want to beat him. But instead, he examined Ryou's bandaged hand.  
  
"There isn't enough power in our Millenium Ring nor strength in your body to heal us both. Only one of us can stay… And since you can survive without me…" Bakura paused. "I'm going to vanish and let my spirit pass into the afterlife."  
  
Ryou faltered. They were both silent. The only sound came from the stream passing below.  
  
Ryou swallowed. "No…"  
  
"I've been nothing but a parasite!" Bakura said harshly. "I suspended my life to satisfy my greed for power and in turn sacrificing you to do so. But I've failing. 5,000 years of trying, and I've still failed."  
  
Bakura was growing fuzzy around the edges, slowly disappearing from view. Ryou could not believe that his Yami was going to die…  
  
Bakura unwrapped the bandages around the cut on Ryou's hand. Ryou winced at fresh pain. Bakura frowned at the injury he caused his lighter half and said, "I'm sorry…" He gently kissed the hand with vanishing lips so soft Ryou could barely feel it.  
  
Bakura vanished completely, but not without using a pet name he never spoke before.  
  
"Aibou…"  
  
Ryou sat up in bed instantly, the sound of his Yami's voice lingering.  
  
Ryou turned to he bedside table where his Millenium Ring lay. He picked it up and held it close to his heart.  
  
He could no longer sense Yami's spirit.  
  
* 


	2. Chapter Two

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
Ryou pressed the Ring to his chest, closing his eyes. He willed himself into his soul room.  
  
In an instant he was inside the room of his soul, the very essence of what MADE him Ryou. It was hard to explain what the place was, really. All Ryou knew was that it contained his most intimate thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams. Everyone had a room of the soul, a place that was decorated just for themselves. And just as everyone's is unique, so was Ryou's.  
  
The room was brightly lit, with pictures of Egypt and his family. Books and games littered the floor, showing how intelligent yet innocent Ryou truly was. However... there was a corner...  
  
In the farthest reach of the room was a dark covered in shadow. Ryou knew that his Yami resided in there, able to come into Ryou's part of the room and take control whenever he wanted. To Ryou, the door was always chained and off limits to him… Before now.  
  
The door was no longer hidden in darkness, yet it seemed to be part of the room itself. Ryou went over to the door and took the handle…  
  
It turned, unlocked…  
  
Ryou pushed it open and entered the forbidden space.  
  
It was dark and mostly empty, save a single bed, a desk and a bookcase filled with ancient Egyptian scriptures. Information and drawings of the seven Millenium Items covered the vicinity. Ryou went over to the desk and examined some of the papers.  
  
The books described the power that the holder of a Millenium Item could contain. It was very boring and didn't interest Ryou at all, yet he knew that his Yami had been obsessed with it. So obsessed, that he pushed everything else away from his heart.   
  
A dusty, face-down picture frame sat on the corner of Yami's desk. Ryou picked it up and gasped.  
  
It was a picture of him, about eleven years old, when he first received the Millenium Ring from his father. Yami hadn't looked at the picture in a long, long time… And there was a feeling in the room that made Ryou think that Yami regretted it.  
  
Yami was gone, Ryou realized, and the room would no longer contain anyone. He would have to live alone, both in spirit and body. He felt as though his heart might burst with sorrow.  
  
No, He thought irrationally, I won't be alone. Not if I can help it!  
  
* 


	3. Chapter Three

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
Bakura awoke in a place he felt sure was the Realm of the Dead. Behind him lay a vast sea of rosy pink clouds, and in front of him a wall. The wall, he realized, was a gate, with over-sized stone doors that towered high above.   
  
Without warning, a strong female voice spoke to him.  
  
"You, Spirit, have not been mummified."  
  
Bakura turned and saw the owner of the voice. He recognized the woman from Egyptian legend, the goddess Ma'at, Ruler of all Truth. She held herself with a pose that commanded respect, and wore white cloth with gold lining. Round earrings hung down to her shoulders. Feathers grew among her waist-long raven hair. She looked over Bakura with golden, all-knowing eyes then spoke again.  
  
"Nor has the 'Opening of the Mouth' ritual been performed. How can you expect to pass into the afterlife without such necessities?"  
  
Bakura blinked. His fists clenched and unclenched, annoyed. He hated explaining himself, even to a god.  
  
"I shared a body with a young boy who still exists on the physical plane. I only have a soul to pass into the Realm of the Dead, and no body to mummify."  
  
Ma'at nodded once, slowly. "Very well, Spirit. Behind you are doors that lead to my Realm, the Hall of Two Truths. There you will meet the many demons of human sin. You will confront each one, and if you have not committed the sin, you will be allowed to pass. But if you are guilty, it will attack." Ma'at paused for him to absorb the information. "Are you ready, Spirit?"  
  
Bakura sneered. He thought of all the sins he'd committed in his life; an unthinkable number of crimes. He knew that his next experience would not be a pleasant one.  
  
"When you are willing, push the doors of Truth open and enter the Hall. Opening the doors will be difficult, but I can not help you. Once inside you will face the demons, and you will likewise have to carry the burden of your sins alone."  
  
Bakura turned back to the massive doors and pushed against them savagely. They didn't budge.  
  
He pressed him shoulder against the cold stone and threw his weight into it. The gate scraped an inch across the ground. He pushed again, but once more the doors would not move.  
  
Bakura backed away from the door and a bead of sweat trickled down his face. Ma'at watched him, unblinking.  
  
Bakura worked on the door for hours, but all he accomplished was a small space he could fit his foot through. His arms ached and his shoulders were sore. He tried unsuccessfully to ignore Ma'at's cold gaze.  
  
Why am I laboring so hard just to be tortured by demons? Bakura thought. What do I have to look forward to in the afterlife?  
  
Then Bakura remembered, the Egyptian resting place was a realm where one could do all they did when they were alive, and see anyone they wanted to see…  
  
I can be with Ryou! he thought. My Aibou…  
  
Bakura stumbled forward as the doors suddenly swung open without effort, revealing only an abyss cloaked in shadow. Uncertain, Bakura glanced over his shoulder. Ma'at had vanished. There was nothing left to do now but go forward.  
  
With his first step, the Hall was filled with dim light, thought the source could not be seen. Statues of marble lined the left wall, each only a few feet taller that Bakura. He looked towards the ceiling and found it domed and majestic. He walked down the hallway until he came to the first statue, a twin-headed snake with the body of a man. On its pedestal was a single word.  
  
ADULTERY  
  
Bakura read the word and studied the beast, but nothing happened. He continued.  
  
The next statue was a fat, horse-headed woman with gold jewels around her body. The pedestal read,  
  
GREED  
  
The moment Bakura stepped into its presence, the demon sprung to life and struck him across the head, sending him crashing to the floor. For a long while he lay sprawled there, head spinning with white-hot pain.  
  
At last he opened his eyes timidly. The Greed demon was a statue once more.  
  
Bakura stood and took a few more steps, skull pounding. The next demon was a man holding a sword, labeled,  
  
VIOLENCE  
  
Bakura groaned and stepped into the statue's path. Instantly, stone turned into flesh and the sword was raised to attack…  
  
* 


	4. Chapter Four

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
"Yugi! Yugi!"  
  
Ryou pounded on the Turtle Games Shop's glass door, ignoring the ever-taunting 'CLOSED' sign. It was barely 6 o'clock in the morning, and all Ryou could do was pray *somebody* in there was awake.  
  
The door opened with a cheery, department store jingle. Yugi was standing there in his pajamas, bowl of cereal in one hand. He looked Ryou all over, noting that his face was flushed and sweaty. He had clearly run all the way there. The small boy smiled none the less.  
  
"Ryou!"  
  
Ryou eyes Yugi's smile and cereal warily. He could not believe that people were still living their lives, eating, smiling, being happy… How could there still be good in the world when his other self had disappeared and Ryou felt so terrible inside?  
  
"Ryou? What's wrong?"  
  
"Yugi, you've got to help me. I have to save my Yami!" Ryou said desperately, touching the Millenium Ring around his neck. Yugi's forehead creased in confusion, but he nodded and led Ryou up to his room.  
  
"Wait here." He said, disappearing into the bathroom. Ryou sat in Yugi's desk chair, resting his face in his hands. The Ring hung loosely into his lap, still lifeless and empty as before. He fought to keep burning tears at bay.  
  
Yugi returned to the room, dressed. He was carrying the Millenium Puzzle, and sat down on the bed. "What's wrong, Ryou?" he asked.  
  
Ryou took in a deep, shuttering breath. "He's gone. My Yami's gone. You have to help me get him back. Surely your Millenium Puzzle's spirit will know how, right?"  
  
Yugi frowned. He set the Puzzle beside himself and said, "Yami, can you help him?"  
  
The Puzzle glowed and the faint illusion of an Egyptian came forth. Being a keeper of a Millenium Item, Ryou was able to see Yugi's darker half.  
  
The pharaoh looked sullen and worried. He was silent for a long while, considering.   
  
"If," he said at last, slowly, "The spirit of the Millenium Ring had left the safety of your soul, then he has passed into the afterlife. You can not reach him there."  
  
Nobody spoke. Ryou felt as though a fire was lit behind his eyes. It was taking everything he had to keep the tears inside, because he knew his Yami was gone forever. His heart ached as if an entire piece had gone missing.  
  
"So that's it then." Ryou said, voice shaking. "There's nothing I can do."  
  
The pharaoh tried to council him. "You're better off without the spirit of that Ring. He thought nothing of your wellbeing."  
  
Yugi nodded in agreement. "Time and time again he tried to sacrifice you in order to get the Puzzle. Now you can forget about him and live a normal life."  
  
The pharaoh spoke again. "He was nothing but evil."  
  
Ryou inwardly snapped. The flames in his eyes turned to pure anger. He jumped out of his seat and shouted at the other two.  
  
"He was not! He was greedy, he was arrogant, and at times he was selfish and used me, but he was NOT evil! You never saw or knew him with he was at bay in our soul rooms, when all the injustices and sins would torture him into submission. But I did, I saw. *I* shared a soul with him, *I* alone truly knew him!"  
  
The pharaoh looked away. Ryou fixed his gaze completely on him, as if trying to see inside his mind.  
  
"If you know any possible way for me to save his soul from the Realm of the Dead, tell me. I need my Yami back."  
  
Yugi blinked curiously at how Ryou said, "my Yami." The phrase was not possessive, rather it was that of a fond companion.  
  
"Yami," said Yugi softly, "Is there nothing he can do?"  
  
The pharaoh avoided their eyes. "There is something…" Ryou's chest filled with hope. "The power of the Millenium Ring can connect you to the spirit, no matter what plane he resides on. Only your mind can enter the Realm of the Dead, and your physical body will remain here. However, if something was to happen to your soul in that Realm… You will die."  
  
Ryou looked at the pharaoh, ignoring Yugi's worried eyes. He swallowed and said more calmly than he felt, "Show me how."  
  
* 


	5. Chapter Five

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
Bakura limped passed the last of the forty-two demons, bruised and beaten. Blood ran down his left hand, dripping onto the floor.  
  
The moments all the statues were behind him, they vanished from the hall and Ma'at reappeared. Behind her was a door.  
  
The goddess kissed Bakura's forehead, and the bleeding stopped. However, the wound remained. She opened the door and led Bakura through.  
  
Waiting for them was Anubis, a jackal-headed god of mummies and the deceased. The room was cloaked in darkness, with only candles to penetrate the shadow. A giant, golden scale stood in the center of the room, and behind it a great staircase led up endlessly into the dark ceiling. A crocodile growled from a corner.  
  
Bakura blinked and stared wide-eyed at the crocodile. Its head and jaws were that of a menacing alligator, but its body was large and agile as a feline. Great, lion-like mane covered his throat. Bakura noticed that the hindquarters were tough and grey, like that of a hippo. He realized that this beast must be Am'mit, Anubis' deadly servant.  
  
Anubis let out a dog-like growl as Bakura approached. He address Ma'at, indicating the spirit. "He has not been mummified. Why have you brought him here?"  
  
Ma'at spoke calmly. "His circumstances are different. His physical body is still living, so I have granted him passage."  
  
Anubis' snarl became more pronounced, but he face the scale.  
  
"THOTH!" he called out demandingly. At the sound of his voice, a man with the head a bird came forth. "Prepare to record the Final Judgement."  
  
Thoth nodded and pulled out a piece of papyrus paper and a quill in which to inscribe Egyptian symbols.  
  
Ma'at stepped forward and pulled a sing feather from her hair. She placed it on one side of the scale and promptly retreated to a corner.  
  
Anubis blinked. In one fluid motion, he reached his hand out towards Bakura, and the boy felt a white-hot pain in his chest. Anubis withdrew his hand and a glowing, crystal-like object formed in his grip. He placed it on the scale.  
  
"Your own heart with not be weighed against the feather of Ma'at, the very essence of Truth itself. If your heart is as pure and light as the feather, you can continue to the eternal resting plane. If not, the heart will be heavy and only damnation awaits you."  
  
Anubis backed away so they could all see the scale. "Now, step forward, Spirit, and receive judgement."  
  
The scale tipped back and forth, creaking solemnly. Certain events seemed to be playing in Bakura's mind, and each evil deed made the heart side grow heavier. The more recent memories flooded into his mind, his most precious ones...  
  
When he first met Ryou...  
  
The heart grew lighter, tipping up...  
  
Himself hitting Ryou, Ryou in pain, Ryou crying because he yelled at him...  
  
The scale tipped down...  
  
The time Bakura sacrificed himself to spare Ryou's life... All the instances he betrayed his poor, unselfish Aibou... The night he saved Ryou from childish nightmares...   
  
Up, down... The scale tipped endlessly.  
  
Bakura closed his eyes and fixed the image of Ryou in his mind. Perfect, smiling with bright cinnamon eyes... His innocent Aibou...  
  
"The weighing is done." Ma'at's gentle voice said. Bakura opened his eyes.  
  
The scale was tipped towards the heart side, yet it did not touch the floor. A thin, golden line had bound the heart to the top of the scale, trying desperately to hold it up. Everyone looked questioningly at Thoth. The god of scripture was uncertain.  
  
"There is no record of an occasion like this. I do not know how to pass judgement."  
  
Am'mit growled threateningly. Anubis examined the scale and gold string for a long time, until at last he spoke.  
  
"There is a single ray of hope, a mere thread of good that keeps the scale from touching the ground." He said. "However, it is obvious that his heart if heavier than Truth." He looked at Bakura, an evil smile stretched over his sharp fangs. "And for that crime, I'll let my pet have you!"  
  
Am'mit sprung into action, and with one cat-like bound he lunged at the spirit.  
  
Bakura reacted instantly, grabbing the nearest candle pole and blocking the beast's attack. Am'mit's claws pushed against the rod, but Bakura matched his strength. The beast roared with great jaws longing to clamp down on the man's head. Bakura could see the teeth looming nearer, jagged and dripping with saliva.  
  
With a desperate push, Bakura knocked Am'mit away and brought the pole down upon his muzzle. Am'mit attacked again, but was infinitely more cautious. Bakura continued to defend.  
  
Anubis blinked. In all he millennia of years, he'd never seen anyone fight his pet. But Bakura was tired and weak from pushing the stone door and battling demons. The struggle would be over soon enough...  
  
* 


	6. Chapter Six

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
"There. You're ready."  
  
The trio of Ryou, Yugi and his pharaoh had returned to Ryou's house. The pharaoh explained that Ryou's body needed to be in a quiet, isolated place in order for his mind to enter another realm. Thusly, the only logical place to go was Ryou's bedroom.  
  
The pharaoh drew the Eye of Ra on Ryou's forehead, symbolizing his connection to ancient Egypt. The Millenium Ring was tied around his neck, firmly resting in the center of his chest.  
  
"Now," said the pharaoh, "You must empty you mind and will your soul to leave this physical plane. You must have complete desire to be where ever the Ring's dark spirit resides. The magic locked inside will take you there. Then it will be up to you to bring him back."  
  
Ryou nodded, gulping. He was afraid, Yugi could see it in his eyes. He was so terribly afraid for himself and for his Yami that he might just cry any moment. And yet...  
  
He was doing this.  
  
Ryou had surpassed his natural need to stand back and let a real hero step forward. He was timidly, unselfishly embracing the burden of a warrior who did what needed to be done. Not for himself, but for someone he deeply cared about.  
  
And Yugi admired that.  
  
"We should so, so it'll be easier for him to concentrate," said Yugi.  
  
The pharaoh nodded. He said to Ryou, "We'll be just outside that door."  
  
"Right." Ryou said with false confidence, and lay down on the bed. Yugi and his dark side left.  
  
Ryou closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing but his Yami...  
  
* 


	7. Chapter Seven

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
A spirit can not die.  
  
Bakura knew this, he knew that Am'mit could not kill him. However, he was grossly aware that if he were to 'die' a second time he would be cast into the deepest damnation of hell. So he kept fighting.  
  
His arms were a bloody tangle of feline scratches, and his face had a deep gnash that started in the middle of his forehead, curved around his eye and ended at his cheek.  
  
Am'mit charged once more and threw his weight into Bakura's pole. The staff snapped at last. In a final act of desperation, Bakura drove the jagged, broken ends into Am'mit's chest. Blood cascaded onto the ground and the beast collapsed. His eyes closed and he did not attack again. Bakura dropped to the stone floor, exhausted.  
  
Ma'at ran over to the defeated animal. "He's dead." She declared.  
  
Anubis rushed to her side, clearly furious. He jerked the spears out of the hippo-like flesh. More blood spilled to the ground.  
  
"Am'mit is a fallen god." Anubis said harshly. "He can not die. However, this annoying spirit CAN!"  
  
The jackal-headed man raised a spear and prepared to strike Bakura through the heart. Bakura knew he would not have the strength to flee.  
  
"NO!" cried Ma'at staying Anubis' hand. She looked upon Bakura with eyes filled with pity. "To kiss him now is to damn him forever. A person who was completely evil could not have defeated Am'mit, nor would their heart refuse to tip the scale. He clearly has something to fight for, something that makes him keep going."  
  
Bakura fell all the way to the ground, no strength left to hold his body. He felt dizzy with the overwhelming smell of blood. He closed his eyes, and the last thing he heard before slipping into darkness was Anubis' voice.  
  
"Very well, Ma'at. I shall not kill him, but he will not rest in peace…"  
  
*  
  
"Yami, what are you doing?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Bakura found himself in a completely different scene. He was sitting at a desk in an classroom, empty save a small boy in front of him. With a start, Bakura realized that the smiling boy was Ryou.  
  
He spoke again. "You never get to school early, Yami. There's about half an hour until the bell rings."  
  
"What are YOU doing here?" asked Bakura, horribly confused. He looked around for any sign of gods or demons.   
  
Ryou seemed to think that Bakura meant, "What are you doing at school?"  
  
"I had to be here for a Trip Committee meeting. It disbanded early, so I decided to come study." He explained.  
  
Bakura opened his mouth the question him further, but another person entered the room, wearing a school uniform identical to Ryou's. Bakura realized that he, too, was wearing a blue suit.  
  
"Good morning Yugi!" said Ryou to the newcomer. "You're here early too."  
  
Yugi smiled and got out some new board game. Soon, the small ground had started to play. Bakura forgot about god, and just accepted this wonderful reality.  
  
"My turn!" Ryou declared. "Who has the dice?"  
  
"I do," said Bakura. He gave the dice to Ryou, and in doing so their hands met. The scene instantly froze.  
  
The background became darkness, and the only things that remained were the people. Ryou seemed frozen in the moment, but Yugi straightened. His eyes grew dark and possessed.  
  
"Do you deserve this?" Yugi asked in a deep voice that was not his own. "Do you deserve to be here with him? What have YOU ever done that's worthy of heaven? What have you ever done for Ryou?"  
  
The two vanished, leaving Bakura alone in the darkness. The deep voice called out to him, surrounding him until he couldn't breathe.  
  
"He doesn't love you the way you feel for him." "All you ever did was be cruel to him." "Murderer." "You took away Ryou's soul!" "Murderer!" "You made his afraid of the darkness…"   
  
The voice insisted upon things Bakura knew were true, things he never wanted to admit. He threw himself down into the shadows, closing his eyes and clamping his hands over his ears. He tried to shut the voice out, but it persisted.  
  
Murderer…  
  
Murderer…!  
  
Bakura screamed into the darkness.  
  
* 


	8. Chapter Eight

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
I want to be with my Yami.  
  
I want to be with him.  
  
I want to be with him!  
  
Ryou thought it over and over again until absolute need filled his heart. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered.  
  
Ryou suddenly felt as though he'd been plunged into ice water. His eyes flew open.  
  
He was no longer in his room, rather some sort of gate. Immensely large doors were in front of him. The Millenium Ring around his neck seemed to be pulling him towards it.  
  
Yami needs me, He thought and began to run.  
  
The doors swung open before he even reached them. Ryou dashed through a long hallway, ignoring the statues to his left. The hall seemed to stretch on forever, but he did not slow down.  
  
Ryou came to a small, wooden door and flung it open with all his might. And there he saw him…  
  
Yami…  
  
His darker half was lying on the floor, eyes shut tight. His body was a roadmap of cuts and bruises. Bakura kept rolling on the ground, scrambling at his ears as if he didn't want to hear another sound. He screamed in agony.  
  
"YAMI!" Ryou cried and ran to him, but he was stopped by a man with a dog's head.  
  
"You can not pass." Said Anubis. "That spirit is undergoing the Final Judgement and may not be interrupted."  
  
"Please!" Ryou pleaded. "Let me go to him. You a torturing someone I share a soul with. I am him, and he is me. I feel everything he feels. We're one and the same, like a yin yang, can't you understand?"  
  
Anubis growled. "If you are the same as that spirit, then you, too, deserve his fate!"  
  
The god raised his unforgiving hand once more to strike, but Ma'at appeared to calm his rage once more.  
  
"His soul is pure. You must not harm him." She said quietly.  
  
"Are you mad?!" Anubis roared. "He has merged with a 5,000 year old thief!"  
  
Ma'at raised her voice for the first time. "He was able to pass the Stone Gates and through my Hall unscratched! How can you say that he is worthy of damnation?!"  
  
The two gods argued relentlessly, neither backing down. Bakura let out another tormented scream.  
  
"SILENCE!" Boomed a great voice. Everyone stopped talking, except for Bakura, who groaned on the floor.  
  
Ryou looked up to the top of the staircase, now illuminated with light. There stood a god clothed like a noble Egyptian.  
  
"Osiris…" Ma'at whispered, bowing her head. Ryou recognized the name at once; Osiris, the Lord over the Realm of the Dead.  
  
Osiris spoke again. "I have been watching for quite a while now. Anubis, Ma'at- Step aside. I want to see…" He paused as he looked between Ryou and Bakura. "I want to see how his… their… future will play out. I want to know if a pure soul and a dark, ancient one can truly coincide."  
  
The two gods backed away, letting Ryou rush forward. He sat on his knees and put Bakura's head in his lap, then held one of the trembling hands.  
  
"Release your spell on him, Anubis." Osiris commanded.  
  
Bakura instantly stopped shaking. After a moment, his eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times. He looked up at Ryou, who gave him a small smile.  
  
"It's okay Yami… I'm here to take you home…" Ryou said.  
  
"Aibou?" Bakura asked weakly, his forehead wrinkled in disbelief. Ryou smiled a little more.  
  
"That's right. I'm here now, I'll fix your injuries and get you out of this place-"  
  
"NO!" Bakura screamed, sitting up and pulling away. "You're another trick, another demon-!" He lashed out suddenly and clamped a hand around Ryou's neck. He had the same enraged glare that Ryou knew so well. "You are not my Aibou."  
  
"I… am… Yami, I'm your… Aibou… Look… I have… the ring." Ryou said, barely able to breathe. Bakura tightened his grip around Ryou's throat.  
  
"Leave me alone, demon!" he demanded.  
  
"Yami… I wanted you to know… I love you…"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Bakura cried, throwing Ryou away with all his might. He grabbed their Millenium Ring away from the boy. He poised on of it's sharp edges at him own throat, prepared to slit it open and take himself to hell. "Just SHUT UP! You are NOT my Aibou- You're some image of him sent here to torment me!"  
  
"No…" Ryou pleaded, getting off the ground from where Bakura pushed him. He crawled on his knees slowly, almost begging Bakura not to take his second life. "I would never hurt you, Yami…" He reached Bakura, taking his face in his hands, feeling the familiar features. Tears welled up in his innocent, cinnamon eyes. "I couldn't hurt someone I love…"  
  
Ryou pressed his forehead against Bakura's. His hands left his Yami's face one going to his shoulder and the other to the hand that held the Millenium Ring. Ryou wrapped his fingers around Bakura's.  
  
"And if you love me, you won't send yourself to hell… You'll stay with me…"  
  
An inner war raged within Bakura, causing tears of angst and rage to fall. He want so desperately to believe this boy in front of him, to believe that he was his savior from this realm. However, his logic would not allow him to give in so easily. His brain told him this all had to be some sort of test…  
  
But his heart knew differently. In his heart Bakura knew that no one else would hold him like this, beg him not to kill himself. In an instant, all the voices that raged inside his mind were silenced.  
  
There was a moment where everything stood in perfect quiet, a stillness as if time had stopped. All present were unintentionally holding their breath.  
  
The Ring fell to the ground. Bakura pulled away from Ryou, then wrapped him in an awkward embrace.  
  
"Aibou…" he said, whispering the forgotten word. He rubbed the side of his face into Ryou's hair, seeking it's warmth. "Aibou…"  
  
Ryou let his tears of joy flow freely now, holding his Yami as tight as he could.  
  
For the longest time they ignored all gods and time itself. They just held each other, refusing to let go.  
  
Nothing else mattered.  
  
* 


	9. Chapter Nine

" The Final Judgement "  
  
By JessieHeart  
  
*  
  
"Yami…? What are you looking at?"  
  
Yin-Yangs are such amazing, inspirational things. You can break them apart and put and amount of distance between the pieces, and they'll still only have one mate. One, single half in the entire universe that will make them whole. But the thing about yin-yangs that touched Bakura was the thing most people never go into deep thought about.  
  
No matter how whole or complete a yin-yang gets, there will always be a darker half. A dividing line that connects, yet separates them.  
  
"Yami, are you listening?"  
  
Bakura looked at Ryou. This was the first time he was actually able to look into his Aibou's physical face.  
  
Osiris had given Bakura his own body.  
  
It felt so good to fill his own lungs with air, to walk on legs that were his own and not have to live like a parasite. Bakura almost thought that he had died, and his new life was a creation of heaven. He breathed in the scent of falling cherry blossom petals, the smell of certain spring and festival time.  
  
Ryou tugged at the Millenium Ring that hung around Bakura's neck. "We're going to be late for the festival, and miss all the fun…"  
  
Bakura gave him a usual half-smile, then pointed wordlessly at the cherry blossom tree across the street. Ryou stared, but he couldn't see what the big deal was.  
  
He turned back, and Bakura was gone, walking towards the festival as if nothing had happened.  
  
"Wait for me!" Ryou called, catching up. "Did you think you were going to leave me?"  
  
The two stopped walking. Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Me? Leave you? Just forsake everything that's happened?"  
  
Ryou blushed. "Yeah, I guess…"  
  
Bakura slipped his hand into his Aibou's, and smiled for real. No half-glance or smirk, but a genuine smile of someone who cared.  
  
"Never."  
  
* 


End file.
